Hellmuth kranich



I (No Mniel.)

H. KRANIOH.

PIANOFORTB. *Patented Aug. 11, 1896.

INVENTOH W/TNESSES.

L/Qwq.

By iwf A TTOHNE Y8.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HELLMUTH KRANIOII, OF NEIV YORK, N. .Y., ASSIGNOR TO KRANICH & BACI-I, OF SAME PLACE.

PIANO SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,860, dated August 11, 1896.

Application filed February '7, 1896, Serial No. 578,404. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, I'IFJLLMUTH KRANICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianofortes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pianofortes, and in particular to the lid which manner with the general mechanism; third,

to provide a construction attaining these ends which construction will not be unsightly. I attain these objects by the construction of the piano-keyboard cover illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail perspective view showing the cover thrown back to its farthest position. Fig. 2 is a sectional View showing the cover closed, the dotted line showing the keyboard uncovered one-half; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the cover thrown back to its farthest extent.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the ordinary piano the wall of the casing adjacent to the keyboard abuts on the inner end of the keys, and the player has therefore a limited space within which to move his hands when in the act of playing, which necessitates to a great extent the swaying of the body to and fro, and causing loss of energy and force in the excitement of the playing. In running the scales, where great exertion is necessary, it happens frequently that the player-strikes his fin ger-nails and the tips of his fingers against the walls, thus greatly interfering with his playing by reason of the bennmbing of the finger-tips. To obviate and overcome these defects, I construct a piano as in the ordinary manner with the exception that I place behind and along the keys a bar having the back preferably beveled and the face concaved, being preferably of about four inches in width. The front portion of the bar is preferably formed in such manner that the tops of the black keys, when in their normal position, will be above the upper edge of the front of the bar, the height of such front portion bein g such that when the black keys are depressed the tops of such keys will practically be on a plane with the upper edge of the front portion, the concaved portion forminga continuation of the plane of the black keys when in their depressed position. The advantage of such construction is obvious, inasmuch as keys would it be possible for the performer to strike his finger nails or tips against the bar, but should he accidentally, while performing, place one of his fingers at the extreme rear of the black keys the remaining fingers would naturally rest 011 the concaved portion of the bar without any danger of having them strike against the edge of the bar.

The cover is made of two parts, hinged at or about its center. The rear portion has its upper face in concaved lines from the hinge upward in about the lines shown in the drawings, while the front portion has its outer side in convex lines in about the proportion shown in the drawings, and which when thrown upward on its hinge will lie in the position of the dotted line.

Arepresents a portion of the casing, having the usual keyboard provided with the white keys 1 and the black keys 2, the latter having the finger portions raised, as usual. Behind the raised portions of the black keys is a bar 3, suitably supported in fixed position in the casing and having its lower face preferably covered with elastic material, as at 4, against which the upper surface of the keys are adapted to rise when in normal position. Preferably the back of this bar 3 is beveled or inclined, substantially as shown, and the front portion or face is concave to form a recess or space behind the rear ends of the raised portions of the keys, said space being indiat no time during the depression of the black cated at 5, and being for the purpose of allowing room for the play of the performers fingers, as above stated.

The cover is composed of two parts 6 and 7, hinged together, as at 8, so that the front portion 6 maybe turned over upon the rear portion 7, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The rear portion '7 has its upper surface concave to more readily receive the portion (3. The said portion 7 is pivoted on a line intermediate of its front and rear edges, as indicated at 9, the pivots being suitably supported by the casing. When the front portion 6 has been turned back to the position shown in Fig. 2, the two portions of the cover may then be turned on the pivot 9 to the position shown in Fig. 3, a suitable stop 10, preferably elastic, being provided to limit the movement of the cover in this direction. Another stop or stops 11, also preferably elastic, is provided to hold the portion 7 in the position shown in Fig. or When the cover is closed. These stops or studs are preferably fixed in the inner side of the casing proper.

I do not limit myself to the exact form of the bar 3, since that may be of various forms and may possibly be omitted altogether and a flat bar substituted in its place without deviating from my invention, the chief object being to give it a more symmetrical shape. It is also obvious that the cover may be of different proportions and of different shape, and may be made to slide backward instead of being folded, and may be of one piece, without deviating from the object of my invention, the chief object being to construct a piano in such a manner that a space will be produced between the inner end of the keyboard and the wall of the casing, the essential feature of the construction shown being the space obtained by the construction described.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. A piano comprisingin its construction a keyboard and a movable cover therefor, and provided with an unobstructed space behind the rear ends of the raised parts of the black keys, said space extending rearward a sufficient distance to afford a free swinging movement of the hands.

2. A piano comprising in its construction a keyboard, a bar located in rear of the black keys of said keyboard, and a two-part cover therefor, the rear part being pivotally supported between the edges of said piano and the front part being hinged to the rear part and adapted to fold thereon, the rear portion of the cover being adapted to lie in rear of said bar when the cover is open.

3. A piano comprising in its construction a keyboard, a bar located in rear of the black keys of said keyboard, and a two-part cover therefor, the rear part being pivotally supported between the edges of said piano and the front part being hinged to the rear part and adapted to fold thereon, the rear portion of the cover being adapted to lie in rear of said bar when the cover is open, an unobstructed space being formed behind the rear ends of the raised parts of the black keys, permitting a free swinging movement of the hands.

+l. In a piano, the combination with the keyboard, of the bar 3 recessed to form a space behind the rear ends of the raised parts of the black keys, the front of said bar being of a height less than. the height of the black keys, the cover composed of the two sections 6, 7, hinged together, the section 7 being pivotally supported on a line between its front and rear edges, and the steps 10 and 11.

5. A piano comprising in its construction a keyboard and a movable cover therefor, and a bar located in rear of the black keys, the front of said bar being of a height less than the height of the black keys, substantially as described.

6. A piano comprising in its construction a keyboard and a movable cover therefor, and a bar located in rear of the black keys, the front of said bar being of a height less than the height of the black keys, said bar having its exposed portion concave in form, whereby an unobstructed space will be formed behind said black keys, substantially as described.

7. A piano comprising in its construction a keyboard, a bar located in rear of the black keys of said keyboard, and a two part cover therefor, the rear part being pivotally supported between the edges of said piano and the front part being hinged to and adapted to fold over upon the rear part, the pivotal. points of the cover being arranged so that the cover when opened will be caused to rock upward and away from the exposed portion of the keyboard, the rear portion of the cover being adapted to lie in the rear of said bar, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of N6W'1 0Ik, this 5th day of February, A. D. 1806.

I'IELLMUTII KRANICH. lVitnesses:

LOUIS P. EACH, FRED KRANICH. 

